The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a method and apparatus for conversion of energy to electricity from a plurality of different sources for immediate use, storage of electricity for later use (e.g., charging a battery), and distribution of safe, regulated electricity for end-use to provide energy services.
Many of the devices used to conduct day-to-day activities (e.g., devices providing lighting, communication, entertainment, news, medicine, etc.) require electricity to either power the devices directly or to charge the batteries used to power those devices. It is estimated that nearly one in four people on the planet (more than 1.6 billion people) lack access to electricity, many of whom live in the developing world at the base of the economic pyramid. It is also estimated that an additional billion people struggle with unreliable access to electricity. While these populations have access to electricity, the power plants and distribution grid are overloaded, under-maintained and therefore unreliable, resulting in power outages, often several outages each day, many spanning several hours or even days. As a result, this negatively impacts the economy, the ability for these populations to rise up the economic pyramid and the ability to improve quality of life.
The framework of traditional centralized power generation and grid distribution is not meeting the needs of these people because large power plant installations are costly and prone to delays and the grid improvements required to distribute this electricity is expensive as well. Even alternatives such as petrol-powered generators (e.g., diesel or gasoline) and the current offering of solar photovoltaic home systems experience only limited success because of cost (e.g., high operating cost purchasing fossil fuel, or high upfront cost to purchase solar home systems) and reliability issues (e.g., inexpensive generators often experience malfunctions and the current offering of solar home systems require installation, maintenance and support).
And yet, despite these challenges, it is estimated that there are presently over 500 million off-grid mobile phone subscribers and countless other off-grid appliances (e.g., lights, radios, televisions, refrigerators, etc.). To power these appliances, millions of people at the base of the pyramid have re-appropriated 12V direct current (DC) lead-acid car batteries to serve the need of energy storage and electricity distribution. However, the practice of using jumper cables or twisting bare wires to connect appliances leaves much to be desired where such usage of unprotected batteries is dangerous, significantly reduces battery life, and frequently causes sparks and even electrocution.
Populations in areas that do have access to reliable sources of electricity under normal circumstances may be subject to natural disasters, blackouts, or planned recreational activities to remote locations (e.g., camping or hiking) that result in prolonged periods of time where users do not have access to electricity to operate or charge their appliances. Some users that do have access to a modern power distribution grid, for environmental reasons, may choose to use renewable energy sources when possible (e.g., solar power, kinetic power, etc.). In some cases, users may employ kinetic generators operated by rotating and driving a shaft with a device driven by natural forces (e.g., wind turbine, hydro turbine, etc.) or by human/animal forces (e.g., bicycle generator, hand-crank, animal generator, etc.) to create the required electricity. Often times, however, these systems do not supply sufficient power to supply the electricity necessary for powering or charging devices for prolonged periods of time without requiring excessive amounts of effort by the users or performance by the devices. In addition, many these systems can only accept one type of energy source and may be damaged if another source were inadvertently connected.
It would be advantageous to provide a method and apparatus for supplying electrical power for people who do not have access to reliable electricity to improve the quality of life for these individuals, provide a safer and more effective source of electrical power, and provide the flexibility to use a plurality of different types of energy sources, including renewable energy sources.